The Way We Were
by imperfectchaos
Summary: She was a lonely tomboy. He was her father's alchemy student. Roy is a talented, young alchemist, but what happens when he takes it too far? Can Riza save him? A peek into Riza's childhood. Royai T for language in later chapters.
1. Rubber Duckies

AN: Royai, hope you enjoy!! R&R :)

If anyone wants to give me Fullmetal Alchemist for my birthday, that would make me very happy. Until then, I don't own it. (aka Don't sue me.)

Chapter 1: Rubber Duckies

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"Hey, Riza!" Alix tugged at Riza's sleeve, looking up at her with wide, blue eyes. "Check this out! Roy made it! It's huge!" Alix tugged Riza down the street towards where a big crowd was gathering in the town square. "It's so cool!" she babbled. "He made it with alchemy!"

They slowed to a stop at the back of the crowd and Risa looked up at the monstrosity Roy had created. _What the hell have you done this time, Roy?_ she thought.

"I told you I could do it," Roy said, gesturing at the 10-foot tall rubber duck behind him. The comment was aimed at Carl, a skinny boy with sandy blond hair that Riza and Roy knew from school. They would all start 8th grade when the summer was over.

Carl glared at Roy, folding his arms across his chest. "Next time," he muttered darkly.

Roy grinned. "Told ya so. I win."

Riza rolled her eyes. _Boys_.

The crowd had started to thin out, so Riza and Alix walked over to where Roy was standing. "We're going home now," Riza said. "Are you coming?"

"Sure," Roy replied.

Riza frowned. "You're just going to leave that there?" She pointed at the giant rubber duck.

Roy turned to Carl. "You asked me to do it, you lost, you clean it up." He turned around and walked away.

"WHAT THE- NO WAY! HEY! COME BACK HERE! DON'T IGNORE ME! Oh, come on. What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" Carl glared at Riza. Riza turned and chased after Roy.

They dropped Alix off at her house. Alix was in second grade. She was like a little sister to Riza, cute, cheerful, somewhat annoying. Riza had never had siblings, so she had adopted Alix as her unofficial sister. It was nice to pretend she had a sister. She got kind of lonely sometimes.

She was a tomboy who fit in better with the boys than with other girls. She'd always thought it was easier to make friends with boys. A couple young men whistled at a pretty girl as she walked by. _Simple creatures_, she thought drily.

Roy wasn't like that, though. He was deeper. She stole a quick glance at him. He was staring off into the distance, deep in thought. He was frowning the way he always did when he was really concentrating. _Complicated creature_, she thought instantly. She smiled.

She hadn't felt lonely since Roy had arrived.

Yeah, Roy was busy most of the time, training to be an alchemist. He spent most of his free time honing his alchemy skills or studying. She'd seen him, late at night, pouring over alchemy textbooks her father had given him to read. He woke up early in the morning, too. She'd once asked him, "Seriously, when do you sleep?" He smiled mysteriously and went back to work.

She admired his dedication. Even though they didn't talk much, just having him in the house helped take away the emptiness. There was something about him that made her smile.

They arrived at the house, a big, dark mass perched on a hill on the outskirts of town. For as long as she could remember, Riza had called it home. Her mother died when she was young so she was raised by her father, a talented alchemist who was often too busy with his research to spend time with her. So she had learned to fend for herself.

"Any requests for dinner?" Riza asked, unloading the contents of her shopping bags onto the kitchen counter.

"Not really." Roy shrugged and went upstairs. She watched him go, wondering why she cared.

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So, what'd you think? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Do you want me to write another chapter? Do you want to send ninjas to attack me in my sleep? TELL ME. It's called the review button. Use it.

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	2. 5 AM

AN: Sorry, I promised this forever ago. This is kind of a short, fluffy chapter that I just put in because I wanted to. But, hopefully, you like it anyway. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!!

Hiromu Arakawa is amazing. Sadly, I am not her, so I don't own these characters.

Chapter 2: 5 AM

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"ARRRGHHHHHHHHH!!"

_Uh-oh_, Riza thought. _This early in the morning? That can't be good._

She padded down the hallway and peeked around the doorway into Roy's room. Roy sat at his desk, glaring at his hand. "Shit," he muttered.

Riza waited a few moments then, realizing Roy hadn't noticed her, she took a step forward. "What're you doing?" she asked. Roy looked up quickly.

"Oh, did I wake you up? Sorry." He looked down at his palm again.

"No, I was already awake." She walked behind him and looked over his shoulder. She frowned. "Did you burn your hand?"

"Only a little," Roy replied.

"Wait here," Riza said. She hurried down the hall and grabbed a bandage and a wet towel from the bathroom. She came back and dabbed his hand with the towel.

"I'm fine," Roy muttered, but he didn't make any motion to make her stop.

This was the nature of their relationship. Not friends, not family, not even acquaintances, but something that needed its own category. Something infinitely complicated that neither of them really had an explanation for. She cared about him, he cared about her, neither of them was really the type to show it. People always assumed that because they lived in the same house, they would be close, but really, it was almost the fact that they lived together that pulled them apart. There had been a billion and one opportunities for them to become friends, or more than friends. But every time, the moment disintegrated into awkward silence. It was like there was always a wall between them, short enough for idle chatter to glide over, but too tall for emotions to climb.

"You should be careful," Riza said.

"I am being careful. See, everything's contained in this little metal dish here. If I go like this…" Roy snapped his fingers with his other hand. A flame appeared in the center of the dish.

"Wow," Riza murmured, watching the flame flicker.

*Every smoke detector in a 50 mile radius goes off.*

*Riza's dad wakes up.*

"ROY!! I TOLD YOU TO GO OUTSIDE WHEN YOU DO THAT!!"

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Yay, slightly fluffy randomness!! I promise Chapter 3 will have an actual plot. *sweatdrop*

Like it, hate it, want to throw your computer at me? Tell me about it!! Even if you reviewed before. Reviews make my day.

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